Israel’s Bennett self-isolates after daughter tests positive for Covid

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett went into isolation at home on Sunday and will await the results of a COVID-19 PCR test after his 14-year-old daughter tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said.

Bennett left the weekly meeting of his cabinet and headed home after learning of his daughter’s positive test, which came amid fast-spreading infections in Israel caused by the Omicron variant.

The premier’s daughter had been vaccinated against COVID-19, his office said. It did not disclose whether she had been infected by Omicron or the Delta variant also prevalent in Israel.

Before the cabinet session began, Bennett, who had a vaccine booster shot on Aug. 20, and other members of his government took rapid antigen tests and received negative results.

Bennett drew public criticism after his wife and children went on holiday abroad early this month, despite his calls for Israelis to help stem Omicron’s spread by cancelling plans to fly overseas.

His government later approved measures barring Israelis from travelling to most countries. Those edicts were preceded by an Israeli ban on the entry of foreigners. Israel has reported 1,118 confirmed cases of Omicron, with the number of people infected by the variant now doubling every two days.